​As classrooms become more dependent on technology, district-wide network and power outages leave students and teachers stuck in the dark and the district searching for a solution.

Last semester, there were two power outages originating from PG&E servicing lines leaving all 42 schools in the SJUSD without internet or landline phone access.

Without crucial network services, Pioneer's difficulty communicating with emergency services is exposed. As staff members are not required to carry a cell phone, some classrooms have no guaranteed way to access the main offices. According to Emalie McGinnis, director of SJUSD Technology and Information Services, the district has an analog phone line that gives schools a line of communication in case of an outage.

McGinnis stated that the district invested in a new Uninterrupted Power Supply and an external generator for the district office to make sure the school day continues uninterrupted with network outage. The UPS will keep things running for up to 60 minutes and the external generator will run until the power comes back on from the power grid. Both projects plan on being completed in the next 30 to 45 days and will cost the district over $100,000 in Measure H funds.

These new power supplies implemented by the district will help the more technology focused classrooms run smoothly even with the network down.

With Infinite Campus down, schools must turn to paper rosters to track attendance making it unrealistic to locate students during FLEX periods. Principal Herbert Espiritu explained how even with the system down, he is not concerned about students leaving campus.

“(Students) can't really ditch because we have campus security and administration in designated areas. There's only one way in and one way out,” Espiritu said. “As long as the kids are in a FLEX room, if our system is down and we can't locate them specifically, I trust that our students are using their time well.”

English teacher Beth Stafford uses Google Classroom daily in her English classes and internet outages disrupt her lesson plans.

“You have to stop everything you are doing, but usually there is some sort of plan B,” Stafford said. “It does cause a disruption because students will use it as an excuse to not do work.”

After considering the circumstances, Espiritu finds the few problems Pioneer has to be inconsequential.

“Out of 180 school days, we have only counted these problems a handful of times,” Espiritu said. “When you are looking at a bandwidth of 1700 people on their phones and internet and that's pretty good.”